TOD 03.24.08

There are two kinds of racism in America. The old racism which has plagued this country for four hundred years is the overt kind that hates blacks and treats them with contempt as inferior humans.

But there is also a new racism which has become almost fashionable in the past twenty years. It’s a racism based on protecting blacks for their own good. For instance, this new racism tends to interpret all criticism of black ideas or behavior as if the critics themselves might be racist, implying that blacks are too immature to handle real criticism. Thus, blacks wind up being held to a lower standard, as if for their own protection. Even just hearing a white man like me discuss this situation makes the new racism suspicious and uncomfortable.

And though I despise the new racism because it masquerades as something good for blacks, I do admit that it’s still far better than the old racism, an evil which it’s sometimes easy to forget is still a reality for many people.